The Gem in the heartlands of Namibia

Okonjima Plains Camp was superb. We really enjoyed our stay at this Camp. Our garden/bush camp room (no 1) was absolutely fabulous, it was very spacious with a great bathroom and even better views. The main complex eating/relaxing area is also exceptional - fabulous aspect straight out to the marvellous watering hole. Food was very good, and the service we received was superb. The game drives are very good, every effort is made to get close to the wildlife (even if it means bursting a tyre on the safari vehicle!!). The rangers has vg knowledge and didnt hesitate in sharing this with guests. We would most definitely stay here again.

Okonjima Plains Camp review

The welcome and check-in was really functional and miserable. After that, all the other staff were absolutely fantastic - and a special mention should bo to Rikki and our guide Immanuel.

Stayed in the family view room - two fully interconnecting large hotel-style rooms forming a single unit isolated from others and overlooking the bush. Very nice, and a welcome opportunity for children and adults to be fully separated.

Breakfast was a buffet - perfectly fine. Lunch was a bizarre set-menu - but could easily be avoided with a late breakfast, midday fruit and early afternoon cake! Dinner was fine and included a kids option if ordered in advance.

Visited Africat - which was interesting - including various animal parts and veterinary equipment which the kids could touch.

The highlight though was undoubtedly the game drives. The cats are tagged, so that may affect some people's appetite for the camp. However, with an exceptional guide who was brilliant with children and got the balance just right between finding leopard and cheetah, and observing everything else in the reserve, the kids found it exceptional. We saw lots of game and birdlife. We watched a leopard and two cubs very active and very close-by for over an hour. We saw porcupine and three brown hyenas together and many other great sights.

Okonjima Plains Camp review

This ended up being a surprise highlight of our trip. Our kids (two older teens and 9 year old) absolutely loved it and voted it their favorite lodge. And it was great for the parents as well. The plains camp is a great choice for families -- the place is new, with a stylish retro modern camp vibe. Our adjoining rooms were perfect and we had a great view of the reserve and wildlife from our bedroom even though it was a standard rather than "view" room. Despite the relative size of the camp, the food was excellent: interesting and well prepared.

The activities were the best of our trip. We took three excursions -- leopard tracking (we saw a mom and cub from 5 meters), cheetah tracking (we saw two), and a night drive (a caracal and other animals we'd never seen) -- and the guide was knowledgeable, highly skilled, and funny. We especially appreciated that he arranged for us to bring our 9 year old on the cheetah tracking (ordinarily there is a 12 year minimum) by keeping her in the vehicle and ensuring that she had a great view of the cheetahs. And to top it all off, the staff was warmest and most welcoming of our trip. They were very skilled but also relaxed, engaging, funny, and able to build a personal rapport with the guests.

Coming here after Etosha was perfect as it enable us to see cats that one can't expect to see in Etosha and do so in a learning environment that helps conservation efforts. Highly recommended.

Okonjima Plains Camp

Our third visit and better than ever. Very friendly and welcoming. Excellent meals. Cheetah and leopard excursions a must. Special thanks to Gideon for finding two cheetahs and two leopards on our excursion.

Overwhelming Namibian Safari experience

We arrived at Okonjima Plains Camp straight from the plane and were overwhelmed by the view from our rooms as well as from the main lodge. We spent the first afternoon just gazing at the animals passing in front of the room and had our first sundowners right there.

The next day we went on the cheetah- and the leopard tracking drive with Peter and were again overwhelmed by the wildlife we saw, including a leopard at the end of the drive.

Food was great and evening atmosphere around the fireplace on the terrace was memorable.

On the second morning I had a run towards the Bush Camp and was accompanied by four giraffes!!!

Okonjima Plains Camp review

We upgraded our room for the last night of our stay and it was worth it - there was a good view of warthogs and other animals from the deck and it had very comfy beds.We were glad to see cheetahs on the excursion.A well designed dining room but the service could have been better at breakfast time. We kept having to go and ask the staff for cooked food and hot drinks. They were friendly though.